Why Attorney General Jeff Sessions is wrong on marijuana

The newest top dog governing federal legal affairs on behalf of United States citizens is openly defiant not only to the will of the American people, the collective employer for whom he works, but also to science and common sense. In case you somehow missed it, Attorney General Jeff Sessions hates the cannabis plant, which means he also hates the millions of Americans who use it, as well as a majority of their friends and neighbors who, numerous polls have shown, overwhelmingly support the cause of liberty on this pertinent issue.

When it comes to cannabis, in fact, Sessions has repeatedly demonstrated that he is wholly anti-liberty, and entirely unfit to fulfill the constitutional obligation on this matter, which is to treat cannabis like any other plant and simply leave it alone. The old-school southern Republican, despite having the truth presented to him on a near-daily basis these days, is insistent that cannabis is the devil’s weed, having on multiple occasions made reference to Big Brother having to step in and “be the adult” on this issue — as if using cannabis for any reason at all represents irresponsibility and foolishness.

In Sessions’ thwarted view, cannabis is evil through and through, despite the plethora of science that shows its immense medical benefits — not to mention the fact that the federal government, of which Sessions is now a part, holds its own patent on medical cannabis. Even so, Sessions would like all of us to believe that cannabis is nothing more than a harmful street drug almost on par with heroin, and one for which people should continue to be thrown in private prisons and have their private property and assets stolen by law enforcement officials.

The fact that cannabis is a healing botanical plant that’s been used for thousands of years by every civilization seems to mean nothing to Sessions, who on more than one occasion has indicated his support for the private prison industry and civil asset forfeiture; two crony systems that benefit from cannabis prohibition. Sessions is also apparently unaware of the fact that our own Founding Fathers grew cannabis in hemp form, and that at one time it was actually a requirement to grow cannabis for the betterment of the colonies.

Call your congressmen/women and tell them to deschedule cannabis

Sadly, it’s unlikely that Sessions’ misguided opinions regarding cannabis are going to be changed anytime soon. He is either financially connected to the industries and policies that benefit from keeping cannabis illegal, or he’s just a stubborn old coot who’s stuck in his ways. In reality, it’s probably some combination of both, but freedom-loving Americans from both sides of the aisle should be concerned, as this man has the power to go after cannabis and reignite a wave of persecution that, thankfully, has been on its way out of public policy for several decades now.

Compassionate individuals of any political persuasion should agree that, regardless of one’s personal views about cannabis, respecting liberty on the matter is of utmost importance in our constitutional republic. At the very least, we should all recognize that many people who suffer from debilitating health conditions and pain rely on cannabis for relief, and that criminalizing this plant ultimately criminalizes them.

The time couldn’t be riper for all liberty-loving Americans to call on their congressmen to come together and deschedule cannabis so that zealots like Jeff Sessions will have no legal means by which to lead another crusade against it. Remember, the so-called “war on drugs” is a war on Americans, and a war on freedom. Whether you use cannabis or not, this is a liberty issue. If freedom and liberty are important issues to you, then ending cannabis prohibition should be your number-one priority.